Bats are number three on the list of animals that commonly have rabies. He says though that the number of bite cases should be of concern.

“The question is yeah, how many more bats are out there with it,” Swain said. “They had to get it somewhere.”

Parke County Health Department Nurse and mother Kevin Rowe got lucky when her son unfortunately got bitten by a bat. She says that he was just sleeping.

“He said he woke up to something dark wrapped around his wrist and he tried to pull it off not knowing what it was, it was still very dark outside,” Rowe said. “It stuck its fangs in his skin and he couldn’t get it off. So he finally yanked it off and threw it across the room.”

When you come across an animal that you’ve been bitten by, the best thing to do is to somehow contain it and take it to your local health department. The animal needs to be sent off for testing.

“I got a call later in the afternoon that it was positive for rabies and the bat was quite sick,” Rowe said.

The Parke County Health Department reminds people that if you come across an animal that’s acting strange, the best thing to do is avoid it completely.